Game 1 to the Fightin's

Posted on: October 29, 2009 12:31 am

The Phillies have just wrapped up Game 1 of the 2009 World Series (World Series CV in NFL-speak) with a 6-1 win over the Yankees in New York. Cliff Lee was dominant once again for the Phils, scattering 6 hits and striking out 10 while going the distance, giving up his only run in the 9th inning on some sloppy play when the Phils had the game in hand. And yes, for anyone who's followed this blog over the course of the season, I got over my disappointment about getting Lee instead of Roy Halladay about 2 months ago (http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11425682/16276401).

Chase Utley hit 2 solo home runs early on (leading to the voice of Harry the K echoing in my head with his "Chase Utley, you are the man" call). The Phillies tacked on 2 runs in the 8th, and 2 more in the 9th, to put the game on ice. Considering that the Phillies had seven runners LOB, it could've been a lot worse for the Yankees. With everyone except Ben Francisco (7) and Pedro Feliz (8) getting a hit, the Phillies proved once again that there are no easy outs in this lineup. They drew 6 walks, and worked CC Sabathia deep into counts, running up his pitch count early like they did in the NLDS last year when he was pitching for the Brewers.

With the win, the Philies now have home-field advantage in the Series, and they have been dominant at Citizens Bank Park in the postseason, going 11-1 in the past 2 years, so saying that Game 2 is a must-win for the Yankees really isn't a stretch. The Yankees are going with A.J. Burnett, while the Phillies will counter with Pedro Martinez, who has a colorful history when it comes to pitching against the Yankees.